For the price this is a fantastic bike. The frame is disc specific and the Magura Louise brakes have awesome stopping power. My only complaint about the brakes is the cheesy levers, they plastic and I broke one last week. The bike is light and the headshok provides excellent suspension and a stiff ride. The bike has made me a better climber and the bonus is swap in a pair of 700c wheels and voila`, you have a road bike. The front derailleur stinks, but that is more Shimano's problem, not Cannondale's. I swapped the original lock out knob with the one the use for the Lefty fork, which makes it easier too lock out the fork. Kudos to Cannondale for making this bike, so get yours fast because they only made 500.